Kate Winslet is sick of hypocrisy in Hollywood, and the star is speaking up.
In a new interview with the Sunday Times, the Titanic actress delved deep into what it means to be gay while pursuing a career in entertainment.
“I cannot tell you the number of young actors I know — some well-known, some starting out — who are terrified their sexuality will be revealed and that it will stand in the way of their being cast in straight roles,” she told the outlet. “Now that’s f***ed up.”
And she has a connection to multiple actors who have suffered because of their sexuality.
“I’m telling you, a well-known actor has just got an American agent and the agent said, ‘I understand you are bisexual. I wouldn’t publicize that.’ I can think of at least four actors absolutely hiding their sexuality,” she said. “It’s painful. Because they fear being found out. And that’s what they say. ‘I don’t want to be found out.’”
Winslet, 45, noted that “men more than anything” are affected by the problem.
“It’s bad news,” she said, “Hollywood has to drop that dated crap of, ‘Can he play straight because, apparently, he’s gay?’”
“That should be almost illegal,” she insisted. “You would not believe how widespread it is. And it can’t just be distilled to the question about gay actors playing gay parts. Because actors, in some cases, are choosing not to come out for personal reasons. And it’s nobody’s business. Perhaps privacy. Perhaps conditioning and shame.”
Winslet said she is now “done with not being honest” about her “real opinions.”
“We could have had a conversation about how I feel about playing a lesbian and possibly taking that role from somebody,” said Winslet, whose character fell into a romance with Saoirse Ronan’s in the 2020 drama Ammonite, explaining, “I know the part was never offered to anybody else. In taking this part I had an opportunity to bring an LGBTQ story into living rooms.”
The actress wants “more people to speak the way I am” in order to bring about change.
“I don’t intend to browbeat or take on Hollywood. We’re just talking about young actors who might be considering joining this profession, and finding a way to make it more open,” she said. “For there to be less judgment, discrimination and homophobia.”
News
Case Being Reopened ‘Speaks Volumes About the Quality’ of Ryan Murphy’s ‘Monsters’
“Shrek” director Vicky Jenson celebrated the premiere of her new Netflix film “Spellbound,” the second animated feature from John Lasseter-led Skydance Animation, in New York City on Monday November 11. The story stars Rachel Zegler, Javier Bardem, and Nicole Kidman in a fairy tale that takes place in…
Support for Menendez brothers grows after “Monsters” series hits Netflix
Photo credit: Wikimedia Commons Lyle and Erik Menendez, made infamous by their 1989 patricide, are brought back to the forefront of public attention with Ryan Murphy and Ian Brennan’s most recent Netflix series. “Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story”…
Just How Absurd Is ‘The Diplomat’ Season 2 Ending? And Does It Work?
Netflix Spoilers below. The ending of The Diplomat’s second season is both deeply consequential and deeply unserious. It was already a bold choice for the Netflix political drama to drop season two mere days before the 2024 presidential election, but for the finale…
Javier Bardem Understands ‘Monsters’ Toxic Masculinity: ‘Something I Fight Against Every Day’
Love it or hate it — and responses run the gamut — “Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story” was one of the biggest, buzziest TV shows of 2024. Ryan Murphy and Ian Brennan’s second installment of the “Monster” anthology (following the first season about Jeffrey…
Who Is in the Trunk of Mickey’s Car at the End of ‘The Lincoln Lawyer’ Season 3?
Just when it seemed like everything was working out for Mickey Haller, things quickly turned for the iconic lawyer as he tried to leave town for a little vacation and had a surprising traffic stop that turned into his surprise…
End of content
No more pages to load